This Article is From Jan 15, 2015

Al-Qaida Group in Yemen Claims Responsibility for Charlie Hebdo Attack

Al-Qaida Group in Yemen Claims Responsibility for Charlie Hebdo Attack
Paris: Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen formally claimed responsibility Wednesday for the deadly assault a week ago at a French satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, that killed 12 people, saying that the target was chosen by al-Qaida leadership and referring to attackers as "two heroes of Islam."

If the claim of direct responsibility holds up, it would make the attacks in France the most deadly strike planned and financed by al-Qaida on Western soil since the transit bombings in London in 2005 that killed 52 people. And it would serve as a reminder of the continued danger from the group at a time when much of the attention of Europe and the United States has shifted to the Islamic State, the militant organization that controls large swathes of Syria and Iraq and has become notorious for beheading hostages.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence in the United States said it had determined that the video clip making the claim of responsibility was genuine, but added that it had not reached a conclusion "on whether or not the claims being made in the video are valid."

Along with the video from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which featured one of the group's leaders, a statement was sent to reporters, bearing the insignia of the group's publication arm, Al Malahem Media.

The newspaper attack began three days of bloodshed that killed five more people and were immediately labeled France's equivalent of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

The statement indicated that the attack on Charlie Hebdo was in response to the publication's frequent caricatures lampooning the Prophet Muhammad.

The al-Qaida statement said that "the one who chose the target, laid the plan and financed the operation is the leadership of the organization."

The statement and video both said that the American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki made the "arrangement" with those who carried out the attack in Paris. It said that al-Awlaki, who joined the al-Qaida branch in Yemen before being killed by a US drone strike in September 2011, "threatens the West both in his life and after his martyrdom," a reference to the continuing influence on the Internet of his calls for violent jihad.

Two brothers, Said and Cherif Kouachi, both French citizens, were accused of the assault on Charlie Hebdo, and said even as they left the scene of the attack that they were acting on behalf of the al-Qaida branch. A day later, a third gunman, identified as Amedy Coulibaly, attacked a police officer and the next day took hostages at a kosher supermarket in Paris. All three attackers were shot to death by the police in separate but nearly simultaneous operations Friday.

Intelligence and security services in Europe and the United States have been trying to piece together the movements of the Kouachis in recent years and determine the extent of their ties to al-Qaida. After initially determining that Said Kouachi, the older of the two brothers, had traveled to Yemen in 2011 for training by the al-Qaida branch, US counterterrorism officials now believe there's a strong possibility that Cherif Kouachi traveled to Yemen in 2011 - probably summer - but used his brother Said's passport, one US official said.

If this is correct, it would have been Cherif Kouachi who received the training from the al-Qaida branch there, not Said Kouachi. Cherif Kouachi would have traveled to Yemen through Oman, and would have met or been in contact with al-Awlaki while in Yemen. Before returning to France, Cherif was given $20,000 by the al-Qaida affiliate to help finance whatever operations he carried out, US counterterrorism officials said.

But the US official said intelligence and law enforcement agencies are still seeking more definitive evidence about the travels of the Kouachis. It is still unclear what specific guidance the al-Qaida branch in Yemen gave to the Kouachis about carrying out an attack, though it is believed that the satirical magazine was one of the targets discussed, the official said. And the United States has little concrete evidence yet about any travels by the brothers after 2011 or possible further contact with terrorist groups.

The al-Qaida statement also claimed the attack was ordered by the group's leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, in keeping with the wishes of his predecessor, Osama bin Laden. However, U.S. officials were skeptical that al-Zawahri personally ordered the attack.

Also, there was no explanation why the group waited a week to claim responsibility for a spectacular attack that terrorized and galvanized all of France and much of the world. But it can take days to get approval from leaders of the organization and additional time to produce the videos and documents supporting the claim.

Peter Neumann, an expert on terrorism at King's College in London, said he believed the al-Qaida claim was credible.

"It makes sense in terms of what attackers themselves said, their background and also the professionalism of the operation itself," he said by email.

An English version of the claim, distributed online, showed a chilling image of the Eiffel Tower in Paris seeming to dissolve into a wisp of smoke. The headline reads, "Vengeance for the Prophet: A Message Regarding the Blessed Battle of Paris."

The statement said the attack on Charlie Hebdo was in retaliation for the mocking depictions of Muhammad. Most Muslims believe any depictions of the prophet are blasphemous.

The attacks appear to reflect what analysts have described as an evolution in al-Qaida tactics and logistics. Because of heightened surveillance, operatives are trained and assigned general targets, but details on how to carry out the operation are no longer micromanaged by the organization.

The looser command structure reduces communication, and thus reduces the chance of intercepts by intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

In repeated statements before they were killed by the police, the Kouachi brothers said they had carried out the attack on behalf of the al-Qaida branch in Yemen, saying it was in part to avenge the death of al-Awlaki. Chérif Kouachi told French television before his death that al-Awlaki had given him financial assistance. The statement did not explain why, if the arrangements for the attack were made by al-Awlaki, the brothers waited to carry out the assault until more than three years after his death.

The statement referred to "heroes of lone jihad," an apparent reference to militants acting in small groups or alone, such as with the attacks in France, which has been a growing concern among European counterterrorism authorities.

The statement by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula called the Kouachi brothers "two heroes of Islam," but it referred to the actions of their accomplice, Coulibaly, as a coincidence and did not take responsibility for them. In a video released after his death, Coulibaly said he was a supporter of the Islamic State, a rival to al-Qaida.

The al-Qaida statement referred to Coulibaly as a "mujahid brother."

A member of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, who spoke to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity, said the joint timing of the two operations was a result of the friendship between Coulibaly and the Kouachi brothers and not a reflection of common planning between the al-Qaida group and the Islamic State.

On Wednesday, news reports in Belgium said that police officers in Charleroi had arrested a man who is believed to have sold weapons to Coulibaly. Le Soir, a prominent Belgian newspaper, said that the man, who was not identified, surrendered at a police station and told police officers that he had been in contact recently with Coulibaly because Coulibaly wanted to buy a car from him. The report said investigators had searched the man's house and found documents involving "a negotiation related to arms."

Scholars studying the Yemeni branch of al-Qaida said the time that elapsed between the carnage in Paris a week ago and the claim of responsibility Wednesday was quick in terms of the normal turnaround after previous attacks. Communication is believed to be via couriers, who have to traverse hundreds of miles of desert roads in a rugged quadrant of Yemen to pass messages between officials, who in turn need to sign off on statements before they can be posted.

"Issuing a claim of responsibility for an operation is not something that is done lightly or spur of the moment," said J.?M. Berger, a fellow at the Brookings Institution.

"But the big question that investigators need to look at is how much of a role did AQAP play in the actual planning in the final stages of this process?" Berger said, using the acronym for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. "They could have given these guys money and training three or four years ago, but when they executed it, it could have been done with money" from other sources, he said.

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said one remaining unknown was whether one or both of the brothers had contact with al-Qaida or other militant groups since 2011.

"In this case both the Kouachis and AQAP insist that AQAP financed this operation, trained the brothers for it and formulated the target," he said. "Rather than being suggestive of a sleeper cell that sat and waited for three years, some subsequent contact seems likeliest although at this point not definitely proven."

© 2015, The New York Times News Service
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